I suppose there could be a risk, just as there is a risk of bacterial contamination in kibble or any food/treats that are fed to our dogs.

I store them in the freezer. Take one out, let Brody have it for awhile, then when he loses interest, it goes back in the freezer. If there were bacteria, the freezing process would halt them.

I suppose it is a case of buyer beware and know that there are risks. To me, the risks are less than other comparable treats such as rawhide or compressed corn dental sticks. My favorite chew will always be a fresh raw bone as the safest and best recreational chew.

I really like the idea of putting them in the freezer. I've never done that before. Do you have any idea of how long they should be in a freezer for the majority of bacteria to die?

We give Odie a raw chicken neck 2-3 times per week. I am slowly but surely attempting to get her comfortable with a toothbrush and I'm not giving up, but the most I can do at this point is get the toothpaste in her mouth with the toothbrush and there's definitely no real brushing going on. Just curious... what is your favourite bone to give for chewing?

The stench alone was enough to make me swear off these things for Butterbean, but now I guess I have an "official" excuse, too! She likes pig ears better anyway, and they don't make her breath stink so atrociously.

See, we don't have a problem with either the bullies or breath smelling. I'm not sure how they process them, but we buy ours locally and they aren't unpleasant at all. Even when you purposely smell them, it's not offensive. I certainly don't want to feed them if there's a high chance that she could get sick from them though, but I do want her to have some sort of chew and she's not that interested in antlers or nylabones and I won't feed rawhide.

I really like the idea of putting them in the freezer. I've never done that before. Do you have any idea of how long they should be in a freezer for the majority of bacteria to die?

We give Odie a raw chicken neck 2-3 times per week. I am slowly but surely attempting to get her comfortable with a toothbrush and I'm not giving up, but the most I can do at this point is get the toothpaste in her mouth with the toothbrush and there's definitely no real brushing going on. Just curious... what is your favourite bone to give for chewing?

I don't want to mislead anyone... putting them in the freezer won't make them 100% safe. Bacteria are nasty and hardy little creatures. They can live in the arctic. So putting them in the freezer will halt them, but won't kill them. However, to me it is safer than leaving them out 24/7, especially after they have been chewed and the ends are all wet and slimy, which is a perfect environment for bacteria.

For raw meaty bones for dental health and recreation... I like chicken necks, chicken wings, beef or pork ribs, pork neck, ox tail (the longer ones, not the little discs). Try to avoid sawed bones like t-bones or pork chops, as they can have sharp edges.

Edit: Another chew that's great for dental health is the himalayan dog chew. Brody has one that he has worked on for weeks and its barely got a dent in it. They don't get wet or gummy like bully sticks. Oh, and antlers are sort of the same way. They stay hard, so they won't harbor bacteria if that's a big concern.

I would definitely stay away from rawhide, and any of the dental chews like greenies.

__________________"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

Last edited by Brodysmom; 02-02-2013 at 01:43 PM.

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Hosh posh! I think they're perfectly fine. I do leave the bag in the freezer but when I do let them have some I let them stay out so they cam go back to them whenever they please. Nome of them has ever gotten sick from bacteria , all its been doin is keepin their teeth clean and preventin them from chewin things they're not supposed to. Dex is a huge antler fan but KC not so much...altho she loooovvesss her piggy ears

Ooh I might have to look into the himalayan dog chew! Odie has a local elk antler chew that she's had since she was a puppy and there's only a tiny dent made in it. It just doesn't keep her interested. I've heard a lot of people have had success with the ziwipeak antlers so I may try one of those.

I'm not going to completely give up on bully sticks, but I definitely want to investigate a little bit more before I can give them without too much concern. I do try to keep her raw meat in the freezer for a couple of weeks before I feed it, so I don't see why I couldn't do that with bully sticks. I found another article about the study with some more info, HERE.

One thing I did not know was that I should treat a bully stick the same as raw meat in regards to clean-up, etc. I'm going to email the local company that produces them and see what they have to say about this study. Just curious what kind of testing their products go through.